[lbo-talk] Oscars and Queers Who Die

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

> Dear List
>
> Doug asks:
>
> > I'm wondering, though - it's Hollywood. What do
> you expect?  Militance? Complexity? Profundity?
> >From Hollywood?
>
> Not at all.  What surprises me is the warm embrace
> this film has received from people I thought were
> savvier than they now appear to be.
>
> Brian Dauth
> Queer Buddhist Resister

What makes a gay-themed film an Oscar contender?  The gay guy (or  
transgender girl) dies.

Philadelphia (Jonathan Demme, 1993) -- Tom Hanks plays a gay guy who  
dies of AIDS -- Hanks wins Best Actor.

Boys Don't Cry (Kimberly Peirce, 1999) -- Hilary Swank plays a  
transgender lesbian who gets raped and murdered -- Swank wins Best  
Actress.

Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005) -- Jake Gyllenhaal plays a gay guy  
who gets gay-bashed and dies -- the film gets nominated for eight  
Oscars!

There is a parallel here;

Action Film: Blacks (unless they happen to be played by Will Smith or  
Wesley Snipes) either are villains who get summarily killed or die  
nobly to save while people.

Gay-themed Oscar Contenders: Gay characters die to help straight  
actors and film makers win Oscars.

Yoshie Furuhashi
<http://montages.blogspot.com>
<http://monthlyreview.org>
<http://mrzine.org>